Safety-razor-blade-sharpening device



Feb. 12, 1924.

J. B. RUJA'r-n AFETY RAzoii B LADE SHARPENING DEVI C E Filed April 15 1922 Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH B. RUATTI, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA;

' SAFETY-RAZOR-BLADE-SHABIEIININGry DEVICE.

Application iled April 15, 1922. Serial No. 553,150.

To all whomzf may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. RUATTI, a citizen of Austria, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in .o y Safety Razor Blade- Sharpening Devices, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to a device for sharpening safety razor blades andthe like.

An object of the invention `is to provide a small, compact and portable machine for sharpening razor blades of the safety razor type in which the blades are of substantially rectangular form and of thin flexible steel and may have one or more razor edges. Another object is to provide a manually operable razor blade sharpening machine. further `object is to provide a machine constructed of standard parts for operating one type of blade, as for instance a double edged blade and which machinecan be constructed and arranged with its mechanical parts similar for use in sharpening different kinds of safety razor blades, a change of .construc-v tion being made necessary only to adapt the machine to different` types of blades, of the doubleedge or single.

. One embodiment of the invention is herei panying drawings, in which 1 Figure l is a plan of the machine with the top of its case removed to show the operating mechanism of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a verticalsection on the plane indicated by line 2 2 of Fig. l. y

Fig..3 is a vertical sectionon the plane indicated byline 3 3 of Fig. 1. y

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the` line 4 4 of Fig. 1 showing the slides r at extreme positions.

Fig. yis a horizontal cro line 5 5 of Fig. 4. o

Fig. 6 is a section similar. to Fig. 4 showing the slides inthe intermediate positions and showing the razor blade tilted for engagement with the strop blocks.

Fig. 7 is an elevation and partial section of a mandrel and barrel construction adapted for use with single edge blades having reinforced back edgesy i Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the device of Fig. 7 taken'at a plane at right angies to the blade shown in Fig. 7. y

in described and illustrated. in the accomss section on the Fig. 9 is a perspective of the mandrelI shown in Fig. A7.

The machine consists of suitable mechanism as will be hereinafter described, preferably substantially all contained ina simple and substantial shell orbox of generally oblong form having end walls 2 2, bottom 3, side walls 4 4 and a removable top or cover section 5 which has end flangesy telescopic `in the end walls and side flanges 6 6 which, with the upper ends of the 'side walls @tare provided with semicircular recesses 7 combining to form a journal for a crank shaft 8 having an youtwardly extending crank 9 on one end exposed beyond the side wall to vbe manually, or otherwise, if y desired, rotated. o

Upon the .inner `faces of the'end walls 2 are -provided guides shownas tracksy "10 extending from just below the removable cover' 5 `down to the bottom 8. `The tracks are arranged in pairs with the tracks in opposed position Von opposite end walls and they are shown as having oblique running faces 10 with respect to the planes of the walls 2. Slidably' mounted upon the tracksy of each pair is a Slidell having flange portions l1 complementary to `the guide tracks 10. 'llhere is `provided therefore a pair ofthe slides l1 and these are disposed withparallel faces to which are seC-ured'in anyy sluitable manner abrasive sheets or blocks, for instance blocks l2 of leather, such as is coinmonly used for the sharpening of razor in this space there is arranged a transvcrsehv extending hollow shaft or barrel, as will be explained below. i i i .Upon the backs of the slides 1l are provided pins llt-and these are engaged by `the lower ends of connecting links 13 whose upper ends are `mounted upon respective blades. The blocks are presentediwith plane `abrasive surfaces suitably spaced apart, and .9C

cranks 8 of the crank shaft 8.; the cranks 8 being shown as Voffset along the shaft and on opposite sides thereof sol that rthe slides move in opposite directions to each other during rotation of the crank shaft.

The barrel, above vreferred to, is shown the purpose of preventing axial movement of the barrel 14 but permitting its tree rotation. I i

As shown in Fig. 3, one end of the barrel 14 is arranged in an elongated slot 15 in one end wall 2 and the barrel is longitudinally slotted from its end in the slot or blade hole 15 to the collar 14a. I This permits the insertion of a mandrel 16 which is of a size to slide into the barrel 14 and carry with it va blade B which is to be sharpened. The blade B is of the double edged type and is provided with a series of apertures b arranged in a row along its longitudinalax'is, and it is retained upon the mandrel 16 by means of .a set of lugs 16` provided along .a plane face of the mandrel,- which latter is of semicylindrical Jform, the plane face lying along the axis of the mandrel. At one end of vthe mandrel there is provided a shoulder 16al and this is adapted to engage a stop pin lll-provided inside of one wall o' the barrel 14 and the purpose of which is to prevent the entire withdrawal of the mandrel 16 when it is pulled Voutwardly yfroml the barrel by the application ot the' fingers to a thumb head 16b on the outer end of the mandrelfr From this it will be seen that when the mandrel pulled to the outer position the lugs `16 VthereotI are exposedv and a blade Bv can beapplied, and when this isregistered with the blade receiving aperture 15 then the mandrel is pushed inwardlyV carrying with it the blade B which willl project through the. diametrically opposite slots along the top. and bottom of the split barrel 14. l

Means'V are provided forl oscillating they lbarrelso as to throw the opposite edgesot` the bladeB vfrom side toside so as to alternately engage with the oppositely moving stropping blocks 12 on the slid-es 11. A. simple and practicable form of barrel oscillating means shownas consisting ot aV cam groove 19 formed upon the crank sha-ft 6 between the offsetk cranks 8 thereof, the camy groove .being of continuous form and disposed in a diagonal position as to the axis of lthe crank shaft. The walls oit the groove are engaged by a pin 20 extending at right angles from the axis of the crank shaft- 8 and bein-gV fixed on the upper arm y21 of the lever having a lower arm 22, and which lever is pivoted at 23 upon one ot' the en d walls 2, as shown yin Figs` 4 and 5. The lower end ofthe arm 22 ot the lever is provided with a segmental gea-r 24 and `this in turn constantly meshes with a segmental pinion 25 which may form aperiphoral portion of the hub 14a of the barrel 14. The arrangement o't' the cam groove 19V with respect tov the cranks 8 oi the crank shaft is such that when the slides 11 are in their extreme positions in the bok or shell, as

shown in Fig. 4, then the lever 21 and 22 stands in its intermediate position and is. substantially parallel to the slides 11 and so holds the blade B in an intermediate position, whilst the cranks in passing their cycles' start a reversey movement of the slides. When the slides have started upon their strokes, the blade is drawn so that one side of one of its edges engages the stropping block 12 moving away from the contiguous edge or moving upwardly as shown in Fig. 6, while at the same time the opposite edge and opposite side of the blade is engaging the downwardly moving stropping block. As the slides approach and pass their extreme positions, the blade isagain oscillated by the cam device and it's edges are drawn to engage stropping blocks which will engage the opposite sides of the razor edges. In other words, the edges are each subjected to alternate engagement at opposite sides with the respective stropping blocks.

It is desirable that means be provided for preventing the stropping blocks from moving in a direction toward the'sharp edges ot the blade, and any suitable Ineans may be utilized for this purpose. As shown in Fig. 3, a toothed dog 26 is pivo-ted to one side of the crankshaft and is designed to engage a circular hub 27 provided thereon' when the crank shaft is rotated backwardly, butwhich dog allows the crankshaft to be rotated' in oneror the forward direction.

' The slides 11 with their strop-ping blocks 12 are preferably moved with an oblique line of travel with respect to the' edges of the blade, as is indicated in Fig. 2.

` It is understood that the' Ina-chine, asv above described', is made standard for the sli-arpenling of razor blades of the ltype shown at B,

and when it is desired tov utilize the machine as standard for the sharpening of other typesv of blades, as for instance' the typek ot blade shown at B2, Fig. 7, then the' mandrel is' of somewhat different construction but the sleeve 14 remains as previouslyy described. The blade B2 is of the type having one edge sharpened and .having a backing or rein- Jforcing strip' In". To accommodate this kind of blade the mandrel 16 is provided with a longitudinally extending resilient receiver 30 with an open mouth disposedl along the body of the mandrel and from which mandrel the receiver extends radially. The stiftening. back b of the blade B2' is adapted to be forced into the open mouth of the receiver 30Min which th'e bladewill be frictionally he f .Various changes and modiiications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A; machine for sharpening safety' razor blades comprising' fixed guides having slides with stropping faces, means for reciprocating the slides concurrently in reverse motions, and means for holding a blade between and alternately moving the blade against the slides,

2. A machine for sharpening safety razor blades comprising a shell having. on inside wall faces fixed guides, parallel slides with stropping faces, means for reciprocating the slides concurrently in reverse motions on the guides, and means for holding a. blade between and alternately moving the blade against the slides.

3. A machine for sharpening safety razor blades comprising yslides with stropping faces, means for reciprocating the slides concurrently in reverse motions, means for holding a blade between and alternately moving the blade against the slides, and guides upon which the slides move in paths oblique to the engaged blade edge.

4. A machine for sharpening safety razor blades comprising a shell having fixed guides, slides with stropping faces sliding on said guides, means for reciprocating the slides concurrently in reverse motions in the shell, and means for holding a blade between and alternately moving the blade edges from slide to slide, the said slides bein arranged to act upon two parallel edges of the blade concurrently.

5. A machine for sharpening safety razor blades comprising a shell, a plurality of opposed stropping slides slidingly mounted on the shell walls, a blade holder arranged between opposed faces of the slides to move the blade to engagethe same, means for oscillating the blade holder, and a means, common to the slides and to the said holder for actuating the same;

6. A machine for sharpening safety razor blades comprising a plurality of opposed stropping slides, a blade holder arranged between opposed faces of the slides, means for oscillating the blade holder to carry a blade against said slides, and a means, comi mon to the slides and to the said holder for actuating the same, and including a shaft connected to the slides and having a cam for actuating the holder.

7. A machine for sharpening safety razor blades comprising a plurality of opposed stropping slides, a blade holder arranged between opposed faces of the slides, means for oscillating the blade holder, and a means, common to the slides and to the said holder for actuating the same, and including a crank shaft connected to the slides and having a cam for actuating the holder.

In testimony whereof I have signed myA name to this specification.

JOSEPH B. RUATTI. 

